Red Helleborine

More Orchids today with a trip to North Hampshire for the Marsh Helleborines, then on to Windsor Hill in the Chilterns for the Red Helleborine. Finally returning home via North Hampshire again to pick up a few variants that we had missed on the way.

Marsh Helleborine - Epipactis palustris

After looking for Bog Orchids earlier in the week it was good to walk into a field and see the bright colourful Marsh Helleborines without incurring eye strain from the searching.

Marsh Helleborine - Epipactis palustris

We found about a dozen plants but we did not want to spend too long looking. A few quick pictures and we were on our way again, this time to join a Berks Bucks and Oxon Wildlife Trust organised walk to see a Red Helleborine, possibly the only one flowering in the UK this year.   I really didn't want to get into twitching orchids or organised visits but with the plant classed as critically endangered and access rightly restricted you have no choice.

Red Helleborine - Cephalanthera rubra

There was no flower last year and it looked as though it would be a no show again this year but we were lucky and with a late flower spike showing the visit was on.

Red Helleborine - Cephalanthera rubra

I took a lot more than two photographs but then given that there is only one plant and that you can not get very close to it, they all tended to look the same. You couldn't even get close enough to cast a shadow over the plant to give a more subtle lighting but here is my attempt to achieve the same effect in Photoshop.

We also saw putative Broad-leaved and Violet Helleborines. If we cannot find them closer to home we may have to make a return visit to the area.

Broad-leaved Helleborine

Violet Helleborine

Having spoken to a few of the people on the walk we picked up some useful information including details of more Marsh Helleborines close to where we had been looking that morning.It was too good to ignore, so back in Hampshire later that afternoon and lots more Marsh Helleborines including a few variants ochroleuca. The variant lacking brown and purple pigments although still showing purple veins at the centre of the flower.

Marsh Helleborine - Epipactis palustris

Marsh Helleborine - Epipactis palustris  with  var. ochroleuca on the right

Marsh Helleborine - Epipactis palustris

Marsh Helleborine - Epipactis palustris

Marsh Helleborine - Epipactis palustris  var. ochroleuca

Marsh Helleborine - Epipactis palustris var. ochroleuca

A few of the other orchids picked up during the day - Southern Marsh Orchids and Marsh Fragrants.

Southern Marsh Orchid

Southern Marsh Orchid

Southern Marsh Orchid

Southern Marsh Orchid var albiflora

Marsh Fragrant

Marsh Fragrant

An enjoyable day, we saw some good orchids, met some interesting people and learnt a lot more about orchids.

More Orchids

The interest in Orchids has not gone away and I was pleased to find a stand of Northern Marsh Orchid whilst we were walking round a small wood at Saltburn just outside Invergordon. That's one I wasn't expecting.

Northern Marsh Orchid  -  Dactylorhiza purpurella

Northern Marsh Orchid  -  Dactylorhiza purpurella

Northern Marsh Orchid  -  Dactylorhiza purpurella

A more planned find was a trip to Noar Hill to look for Musk Orchids. Around four to six inches high and with small greenish yellow flowers, this is an Orchid that is easily overlooked. They grow closer to home but the beauty of Noar Hill is the that with an estimated 10,000 flowering spikes they are just that little bit easier to find.

So it proved in practice. We started off searching for any sign of a spike and ended up being surrounded by them and having difficulty finding anywhere to put our feet without causing damage.

Small and delicate, they look like ideal rabbit food but I couldn't see any damage from grazing. Perhaps there is something in the "Musk" that puts them off.

Musk Orchid  -  Herminium monorchis

Musk Orchid  -  Herminium monorchis

There were plenty of other Orchids around including freshly emerged Pyramidal Orchids.

Pyramidal Orchid  -  Anacamptis pyramidalis

The Marsh Fragrants below were found on the north slopes of Ditchling Beacon growing on chalk grassland. Hardly the environment I would have expected but the handbooks do record this habitat as a very occasional occurrence. I can't claim much skill in finding them, I picked it up from Grahame Lyons blog. Just hope I got the right Orchid, differentiation between the various Fragrants is starting to get a bit confusing.

Marsh Fragrant  -  Gymnadenia densiflora

Florets Marsh Fragrant  -  Gymnadenia densiflora

Not so convinced by the one below but all the Chalk Fragrants seem to be well past their best so I am assuming it is another Marsh Fragrant.

Marsh Fragrant  -  Gymnadenia densiflora

I also found a report of Heath Fragrants at the Sussex Wildlife Trust's Chailey Warren reserve. I drove over to have a look but then couldn't find any access route onto the reserve. All gates were marked as private. Contacted them that evening only to be told it was a closed site as there was no public right of way over the land surrounding the reserve. Note to SWT, it might save members a lot of time if you made that clear on your web site.